


No More Dreams to be Stolen

by Tabithian



Series: Fortunes Fade [12]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5024143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The anniversary of Tim's death is always a clusterfuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No More Dreams to be Stolen

**Author's Note:**

> This is result of [another exchange](http://archiveofourown.org/comments/41798650) with clarityhiding that turned into this? *hands*
> 
> Takes place a little bit after the events in [Where the Fine Line Begins](http://archiveofourown.org/works/577250) and leads right into [The Devil's Teeth Stay Sharp](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4218198). (Teensy reference to events in [No Home and a Bag of Bones](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4671230). Super teensy.)
> 
>  
> 
> (One of these days I'll write things in chronological order. Probably. /o\\)

The anniversary of Tim's death is always a clusterfuck.

It's always one thing or another, but this year? This year it was Joker deciding he should recreate that night as best as he could because why the hell not, really.

Jason doesn't remember being grabbed, just coming to in a warehouse with one of Joker's special little party favors resting on a little table in front of him.

Joker had been somewhere, taunting Bruce with Tim's murder, all of it playing on the overhead speakers. Jason struggling to get free, to fucking think because he'd been drugged. Everything feeling like it was filtered through a fog, or, or _something_ , that made it hard to think, move.

He could hear Bruce and Babs over the comms, the worry, _fear_ tightly controlled in their voices. Bruce's worst nightmare come back to visit him, and goddamn Joker for this anyway.

And then there had been Bruce getting him out of the warehouse, Babs sounding the all clear for her father the moment Dinah had gotten him to safety.

Red Hood chiming in to say Dick was safe - and everything had ground to a halt because he wasn't using the voice modulator.

It'd been years since any of them had heard Tim's voice, and even though it was older, deeper, there was no mistaking it, and now.

Now Dick is down in the Batcave listening to Bruce telling him stories about Tim when he'd been Robin.

So damned determined, earnest.

Sweet, stupid kid who'd taken up the role of Robin because someone had to.

Pain in Bruce's voice because Tim is the goddamned Red Hood, now. No trace of the kid he's been all those years ago to be found. Just this ghost they've been chasing all over Gotham for so damn long.

Running across the bloody messages, fucking statements, he was making to Gotham's underworld. Staking a claim, offering a challenge, who the hell knows.

He's the _Red Hood_ , and Bruce and Dick (hell, _Jason_ ) aren't exactly taking the news well.

Not when Ra's al Ghul had surfaced for story-time, and offered up a little warning. Leveling a supremely unimpressed look at Jason, disdainful curl to his lips because there's no way in hell he could ever measure up to Tim. (Then or now.)

Supposed concern, that Tim might see Jason as a replacement, that he might feel angry Bruce had seen fit to give Robin to someone else. (Inferior, lacking.)

When asked, he'd been infuriatingly vague. Claiming concern for Bruce's mental state at the time and information his ninja had gathered. A nice little file all about the new Robin included in there. (Like Jason really believes Ra's had Tim's best interests in mind.)

So now Jason's grounded, Dick and Bruce pulling the wagons around because - 

Well, because they're fucking idiots, really.

To believe Ra's the way they are, so willing to believe all the shit Tim's done as Red Hood to this point is due to what the Lazarus Pit did to him. To think Ra's has it right, that Tim's going to come after Jason for being Robin after all this time, the chances he's had to kill him before this. 

Jason would say they're too damn close to things to see clearly, but he knows how easily they could turn that back on him.

Thing is, Jason can't help thinking back, picking over every interaction one of them has had with Red Hood, _Tim_ , from the moment they knew about him, and there are.

Jason has so many damn questions.

Tim's had the perfect opportunity to kill all of them countless times over by now.

Hell, he could have taken them all out before they even knew he was there, that this new Red Hood even existed. Before he'd started in on Gotham's gangs, ripping them apart, salted the ground.

But he hadn't.

Had never gone after any of them directly, and had most recently gone out of his way to rescue Dick.

Tim could have continued to operate as Red Hood for. Hell, maybe forever, given how damn careful he's been. But for whatever reason, Tim had chosen to let them know it was him. 

So now Jason's lurking on the stairs leading down to the Batcave listening to Bruce tell Dick stories about Tim when he was Robin. Before Ra's dipped him in the Lazarus Pit because he couldn't bear to see his potential wasted. 

Bruce and Dick think it broke Tim, somehow, twisted him in some fundamental way, and Jason.

He doesn't know if that's true or not. Doesn't know if Tim's this monster they're making him out to be. Someone they're going to have to put down, throw in Arkham and go up against time and again like any of their other rogues when he inevitably manages to escape. (Like hell Arkham's going to keep someone like Tim caged up for long.)

All that Jason's sure of is that Tim – the stupid kid who saved Jason's sorry ass so many times in the past, who'd talk to Jason like he wasn't a lost cause – is alive.

Fucked up a little, sure, to have done the things he has since he came back, but. 

He's _alive_.

He's alive and Jason's listening to Bruce telling these stories to Dick who's admitted he was a horrible dick to Tim when he'd taken on the role of Robin. That the whole reason he tries so damn hard with Jason is because he feels he failed Tim, and Jason.

Fuck.

He doesn't know about that, either.

He knows Dick though. How no one's safe when he really, truly, gets angry. 

Not even Bruce. 

Hell, especially Bruce with all the shitty things he's done over the years for the greater good.

Knows how the idiot goes for the soft, hidden parts and tries to hurt, like he wants whoever he's going after to hurt him back, smack him down, and just.

Dick hadn't known Tim at all, but Jason knows Dick well enough to know it couldn't have been pretty.

God, this fucking family.

Jason sighs, tips his head back and closes his eyes. Listens to Bruce's voice, all the pain and loss and grief woven through it as he talks. Can picture the fond little smile on his face he gets sometimes for the people he lets get this close to him Jason can hear mixed in with all the hurt because _Tim_. 

Dick drinking the stories up like he's dying of thirst because he couldn't listen the first time around, and Jason.

He's told Dick a couple of stories about Tim in the past. When Dick was down with an injury, or sick. When Tim's birthday or the anniversary of the night he died rolled around and Dick was reminded of all the lost chances with Tim, but this?

It feels like a wake, like they're celebrating Tim's memory instead of going out there and shaking some fucking answers out of the jackass.

And because they can't do it themselves, Jason's going to find Tim and talk to him if it's the last thing he does.

Because this? 

It has to fucking stop. 

They can't keep grieving Tim when the fucker's alive and running around being such a goddamned idiot. 

********

Jesus _Christ_. 

When Jason made a promise to himself that he was going to talk to Tim even if it killed him, he didn't actually mean it. 

(And yet, here he is.)

There had been a rumor, and fuck, yes, Jason knows how often the damn things end up with him getting in way over his head. But just this once, he'd hoped it might be different.

No luck to be found there, though.

Just an ambush set up for the Red Hood set by goons who aren't exactly picky about which costumed weirdo falls into their trap.

There's an even dozen guys between Jason and any hope of getting out of here in one piece (he's done the math) and backup in the form of Bruce and Dick is too far away. 

Jason's holding his own pretty well, though. Took a guy out with a move Bruce isn't going to be happy about, but the way Jason sees it? As long as he's still alive to face Bruce's disapproval it's all good.

It's tight quarters here, not nearly enough room to maneuver the way he's been trained. Good thing there's always room to fight messy, dirty. Break a few noses here, take out a knee-cap there. (A shot or two at some stupid bastard's family jewels here, there.)

One of the bastards is faster than his buddies, or maybe just lucky. Elbow connecting with the side of Jason's head and everything goes downhill from there. Jason reels, and the fuckers move in - 

(Fuck, this is going to _hurt_.)

\- And then Red Hood drops down on one of the goons from a height.

Even through the ringing in his ears Jason can hear the sound of bones breaking.

There's a split-second where time seems to freeze.

Jason can see the goons staring at Tim, who's crouched low over a groaning thug, and then he's launching himself at the closest one and time speeds back up.

Jason ducks as one of the thugs makes a grab for him, and then it's just a flurry of motion and fury and sound. He catches movement at the corner of his eye, sees one of the fuckers getting a good hit on Tim. 

Pained hiss from Tim as he staggers, but he's quick to recover and Jason's got problems of his own to deal with that keeps him too busy to do more than check to make sure Tim's still on his feet.

It's a steady rhythm of punch, block, kick, fancy shit Dick or Bruce taught him, repeat until the last goon is down.

Jason's winded, feels like a giant bruise and creaky bones.

“Hey,” Jason says, doesn't know what else to say, when he looks at Tim. “Thanks for the save.”

Tim's looking back at him, hand pressed to his side.

“Hood?”

Crunch of Tim's boots over the mess littering the floor of the warehouse – always a goddamned warehouse - and a strained, “I thought I told you to be more careful.”

“Yeah, last year,” Jason says. He shuffles closer to Tim, or tries to, but the shifty bastard moves so Jason can't get a good look at whatever injury he's trying to hide. “I kind of figured there was an expiration date on that.”

Tim is staring at him, or that's the impression Jason's getting with the way he's holding himself.

“Robin - “

Jason's so beyond ready to tell Tim to shove it, and let him see what the hell he's done to himself this time. (It's almost like no time at all has passed, both of them the same stupid kids they'd been years ago.)

But then Tim goes tense all over, looks ready to bolt.

“Hood?”

Tim swears, low, frustrated, and turns his head to look at Jason.

“Be careful, you idiot,” he says, and fucking _runs_.

Jason makes to move after him, but there's a click in his ear and Dick's worried voice, followed by Dick himself as he drops down to the main floor of the warehouse, Bruce moments after him.

“Robin!”

Jason sighs and holds still while Dick fusses, checking for injuries while Bruce surveys the warehouse. He sees Bruce looking over the goons, going so damn still over one that doesn't seem to be breathing. (He is, though, it's just so damn hard with the mess Tim made of his ribs when he landed.)

“Shit, watch it,” Jason hisses, when Dick hits a tender spot. “I'm fine, you jerk.”

Dick's looking at him with worry and concern and slow-fading fear. 

“Nightwing, I'm _fine_.”

Jason turns his head when Bruce moves closer, coiled tension and unhappy line to his mouth.

“I'm okay,” he says, has a feeling he's going to be saying that a lot in the days to come. “I'm really very much okay, but Red Hood - “

“ _Hood_?”

Bruce and Dick exchange these _looks_ , and Jason, okay. 

He's so fucking tired of this. 

Of Bruce and Dick acting like Tim's wrong, broken, just because he doesn't play along with Bruce's rules. (Jason gets it, you know? The reason for the rules, and why Tim doesn't play by them anymore. The way Jason grew up, he's not so sure Tim has it wrong, some days.)

"For fuck's sake," Jason snaps, slapping Dick's hand away from his face.

There's a cut (from who knows what) he'd gotten when Tim tackled him out of the way of a bullet with his name on it, but considering what could have happened instead? Jason thinks he can live with it.

"Your _son_ ," Jason spits, and don't think he doesn't know how goddamn hard Bruce pushed for that, fought Tim's parents on that when it was all over the news. "Is out there somewhere, maybe bleeding out because he can be just as stubborn about that shit as either of you can."

Bruce doesn't flinch, no, he has too much control for that but he goes a certain kind of _still_.

Dick, though. He's still so raw from that night Tim saved him, the mess with Ra's and all his helpful warnings. Everything that's happened since, and he flinches. Pulls back for a moment, and then he's bulling right back in because they're brothers, aren't they. 

"You can just shut the hell up," Jason says, only it comes out tired, because _Dick_.

Dick and Bruce and stupid _Tim_ and this mess the asshole dragged Jason into. (These two idiots Tim asked him to look after because Alfred would pull himself together given enough time, and so would Babs, but these two? Jesus.)

"You think if he was out to, what, kill me for replacing him he'd start by saving my life? And fucking really, you're going to believe whatever Ra's al Ghul tells you without questioning it?"

Jason taps the 'R' on his chest. "Do you even remember why I became Robin in the first place?"

This time Bruce does flinch, so small Jason might have missed it if he wasn't looking right at him.

“Yeah,” Jason says, scowling at Dick when the idiot opens his mouth to say something. “Tim pushed hard for me to be Robin, so pardon me if I'm not about to believe Ra's that he's so dead-set on trying to kill me for doing what he wanted.”

(No pun intended.)

Dick makes this pained sound, hands flexing at his side, and Bruce.

Fuck.

Jason has so many questions for Tim, but right now Jason's a little more worried about the dumbass' habit of hiding – or trying to hide – injuries.

“You two can stand around here and feel sorry for yourselves, but I'm going to find the stupid bastard before he passes out from blood loss.”

(It's happened before, but Jason's never told them. Wonders if there had been other times, though, considering the kind of idiot Tim is. Was. Whatever.)

Bruce looks like he's going to say something, and Dick is reaching out, but then there's a soft chime over the comms and Barbara's voice.

“I've managed to pin down a few of Hood's safe-houses,” she says, voice cool. “If you're interested, that is.”

Like she doesn't know.

Jason grins, a little sharper than normal as he ducks around Bruce and Dick. 

“Consider me interested,” he says.

He can hear a whispered argument behind him, Bruce and Dick and all the way they're idiots, but he already knows he's going to pick up a couple of shadows before he hits the roof. 

Hopefully they'll be smart enough to stay out of the way until they can get their heads out of their asses when it comes to Tim.


End file.
